"Make yourself perfectly easy, my dear lord, about newspapers and their tattle; they are not worth a moments gard, So wrote Horace Walpole to the Earl of Hertford in 1764, but, asa collector of fine china, curios, and painted glass, Horace himself ought to thave had some: regard. for mews-papers, for this week, Christabel, 1 fave done a "fit" and newspapers been my greatest help—for packing china and glass.
'Admittedly, in the sth century: newspapers had not attained their present high standard, but, I suppose then, as now, men who did their own. jobs' more or less indifferently, went homo, and, sitting down te their wine in lew of present-day whiskey-soda, sed pleasant evenings tearing to shreds the news as it was presented, and denouncing the policies of their favourite journals. Still, I have often though that Walpole would have made a perfect writer for any woman's page, (had such existed in hhis day) but, had he publicly presented his social gossip as wrote it In his private "letters, wouldn't there have been something aedoing in news offices, unless toll were Vastly different in'temper from nat they are to-day!
Just imagine if we could write things like the following:
"We had last night, a' magnificent ball at Lady Cardigan' jlo {0 s60 how mon those who are within sight of retirement on fairly comfortable means Dethinie themselves that half a loaf better than no bread, and they Will pack up before the rot sets in and spreads to their all. For vary-'Shy reasons people are constantly streaming away, and soon there will be few of the old familiar faces left. In the end this Is going to prove another blow to Shanghai, for those going home now have been props and Supports of our institutions, not only with all the diamonds she could borrow, hire, or seize, with the air of a Roxana, was the finest Agure—ata distance."
"As to the fair widow, Brown, T assure you the devil never sowed two hundred thousand pounds in a more fruitful soil: every guinea has already taken roo!
And, referring {o one, Lady Sundon, who was noted for bestowing favours exchange for. jewels, and who appeared at Marlborough House in ear-rings which were il-gotten, but worth a fortune, Walpole tells us that the Duchess remarked to Lady Mary Wortley! "How can that woman have the impudence to go about in. that bribe?" to which Lady' Mary replied: "Madam, how would you have people know where wine is to be sold, unless a sign Is hung out?"
Now,' friend, apply local names in place of the worthy Indies of a bygone eye mentioned, and think what a ong for libel" could be sung after publication. Of course you will immediately answer: "But such things could not possibly be said with truth of Shanghai people," and doubtless you Would be right All I can say is that Horace was brave to say it Ju ink, and his {rlends must have been most discreet, but, servants wore no menace in those: days since they could not read, £0 there yas little danger from theft ud publication via the. back-stairs.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.